Verve – Helsar de Zarcero
By: Chase
Coffee: Helsar de Zarcero
Company: Verve
Brewing Method: French Press
Origin: West Valley, Costa Rica
Description: “Complex, round body, honey, sweet.”
Of the batch we tried I would say this was my favorite. It is worth mentioning that it is 100% Caturra. What does that mean? Good question... Apparently that means
"Caturra - Caturra is a mutation of Coffee Bourbon discovered in Brazil. It is a mutation with high production and good quality, but requires extensive care and fertilization. It is short with a thick core and has many secondary branches. It has large leaves with wavy borders similar to Coffee Bourbon. It adapts well to almost any environment, but does best between 1,500-5,500 feet with annual precipitation between 2,500-3,500 mm. At higher altitudes quality increases, but production decreases." (source)
There you go. Anyways back to the coffee review! Again, Verve seems to be a lot more mellow. At this point I was somewhat unimpressed, until I decided to have coffee the way I enjoy it. I added a bit of cream and sugar. Viola! This coffee merged fantastically with cream and sugar. Go figure - the coffee doesn't have any overpowering qualities but added with cream and sugar it just tastes right. I realize we tend to become somewhat elitist when it comes to adding anything to coffee - and at times, it doesn't work with some really good coffee's - but the majority of us out there enjoy a little something more in our coffee. This is the perfect cup to add a bit more. On its own, it isn't bad, but with some cream and sugar i was more very happy.
Verve – Panama Elida Estate Natural
By: Chase
Coffee: Panama Elida Estate Natural
Company: Verve
Brewing Method: Pour-Over
Origin: Boquete, Panama
Description: “While cupping over fifty Costa Rican micro-lots last year with one of our importers, one of the few coffees on the table from Panama was this dry-processed gem from the Elida Estate. This Elida Estate is a well-known operation in Boquete, Panama and their success in the past has largely been from their wet-processed coffees. It was their first attempt at dry-process lot in 2008 that caught our attention. We bought the few bags that were produced in ’08 and in the spring of 2009 we had the chance to hop in a jeep with the owner of the Elida Estate, Wilford Lamastus, and check out his farm. After several days of cupping and learning about their operation, we decided on our 2009 dry-processed lot, which is juicier and cleaner than last year. We get strawberry, coconut, sweet cream, grape and a huge body from this wonderful coffee. ”
Andrew isn't impressed. That's saying a lot. I rely on him and Dave to really taste the coffees. They have the superiour tastebuds and usually they know just what it is they are tasting. As it cools he finds it to be more appealing.
I personally find it to have a bit of a sharper taste. It is still fairly mellow. Nothing overpowering, no really strong dominating flavors. As it cools down I find it to taste a bit syrupy. I can't say that I really enjoy it. Still, an interesting cup.
Starbucks – Pike Place Roast
By: Chase
Coffee: Pike Place Roast
Company: Starbucks
Brewing Method: Coffeepot
Origin: ?
Description: “With a smoother finish and subtle flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts, this coffee can be enjoyed fresh all day, every day.”
This is the every day Starbucks "House" blend. It is their coffee that they serve in house every day. If you go into a store, ask for their house coffee, they will give you this blend. Pike Place Market is in Seattle and is also where the first store was opened up. The original store on Pike Place street apparently is no longer there, but they moved it down the way and call the new store the 'original' store. Go figure. There are about 15,000 Starbucks stores - give or take a few. Each store, at the very least, serves 1 5lb bag of Pike Place Roast. Odds are most do 2+. Lets just say 1, though. That means about 75,000 pounds of Pike Place Roast is ground up and served daily at the very least.
How does it taste, though? It isn't that bad. Starbucks gets a bad rep for having over roasted and bad coffee. Considering they have to have about 27,375,000 pounds a year of this bean roasted up - it isn't that bad. The thing a lot of people forget is when you are a smaller coffee roaster you have the ability to take a small batch of incredible coffee and make something really unique with it. Starbucks can't afford that option, even their small batch coffees have to be incredibly large, and so they make a decent cup of coffee out of a massively produced amount of beans. The taste is mellow, with a hint of fruit and a nutty finish.
This coffee was made for cream and sugar - but that is okay. Thats what most of us enjoy, and what most of us drink. Nothing is too overpowering or strong about this coffee, it is mellow - almost weak - but it does what it sets out to do.
Ritual – Finca La Piñona
By: Chase
Coffee: Finca La Piñona
Company: Ritual Coffee Roasters
Brewing Method: Pour-Over
Origin: Honduras
Description: “Sebastián Benitez grows these Pacas cherries on his small, 2-hectare farm, Finca La Piñona, 1615 meters above sea level near the beautiful town of El Cielito.Working the farm with the help of his wife and their 12 children, Sebastián relies the help of only a handful of employees during the harvest, and manages to do all of the coffee-farming himself, in addition to red beans, corn, and green vegetables. He also processes his own coffee in a small mill, pulping the coffee by hand and fermenting it in a small cement tank. The coffee is dried under the careful watch of Beneficio San Vicente, an agronomic and agricultural consultant in the area. Sweet and syrupy, with stonefruit flavors of peach and apricot, passionfruit, buttery caramel, and notes of apple and oolong tea.”
Woah. Long description - but I like it, it shows you a small farmers story. This coffee is different. Surprise, huh? It has a mellow taste, smooth body but not too thick. I've begun to see a pattern in the coffee's I've been drinking. Starbucks, you always seem to be able to taste the roast. Each blend has a smoky under flavor. Intelligentsia, they seem to have a more citrus mouth feel. You get the impression that you are almost biting into a fruit.
Ritual is another favorite of ours, only because they make quality coffee. This one has a small tart flavor hidden in it, with a bright after taste that doesn't linger. This is pleasant cup of coffee. This is a cup you share with friends.
Verve – Sumatra Mandheling
By: Dave
Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling
Company: Verve
Brewing Method: French Press
Origin: Aceh, Sumatra
Description: “Orange peel, full bodied, earthy."
It smells like a meal. It isn't really bitter but it reminds me of.. Wine. It tastes fruity at first. The body just reminds me of wine . There is a hint of something, maybe earthy flavors. The flavor is consistent it seems even as it cools down. Once it gets cold, though, it loses it's appeal. Still, coffee shouldn't get a chance to get cold!
Starbucks – Breakfast Blend
By: Chase
Coffee: Breakfast Blend
Company: Starbucks
Brewing Method: Coffeepot
Origin: Latin American
Description: “Bright citrus notes dance across your tongue, awakening your taste buds without overwhelming them And the finish is clean, leaving your palate refreshed.”
Once upon a time, this was the coffee I would suggest to people. A Starbucks starter blend. I guess, at the time, I felt that a mild coffee was a good introduction. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. People are usually not used to how strong and smokey Starbucks coffee actually tastes. Breakfast Blend isn't as bad, because it is weaker. Still, I don't think I would suggest this as a start anymore. My taste buds and my mind has changed, in general, to what I might consider a good starter coffee. This coffee has a strong acidic taste to it, with a weak body and a tangy after taste. While I would agree that it doesn't overwhelm you with citrus, it comes close. This coffee reminds me slightly of the familiar flavors in some Intelligentsia blends. I wonder if it doesn't have as much of the Starbucks signature roast (which tends to be darker then other roasts).
Intelligentsia – House Blend
By: Chase
Coffee: House Blend
Company: Intelligentsia
Brewing Method: Pour-Over
Origin: Colombia, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Brazil
Description: “This medium-bodied blend offers subtle fruit notes with milk chocolate and caramel close behind. The balanced acidity finishes with notes of baked apples.”
This coffee was somewhat of a surprise to me. It has a muted flavor, something subtle, and I don't usually expect that from Intelligentsia. This is by no means a bad thing, and dare I say, you come to expect this type of flavor from a 'House' blend. Something you could enjoy on a daily basis. It doesn't have that hard bite of fruity flavors that the Celebration blend had, but it still retains a subtle finish of fruit. I would say this coffee is mellow, but in a good way, and odds are if I was trying to convert the everyday coffee drinker I would suggest this one because it isn't too different from your average - good - cup of coffee.
Starbucks – French Roast
By: Chase
Coffee: French Roast
Company: Starbucks
Brewing Method: French Press
Origin: Latin American
Description: “French is all about the roast. It's our darkest and boldest and not for the faint of heart. We roast the beans to their edge for a singular smoky flavor. And that's the French Roast calling card. Normally you wouldn't expect such a bang from a coffee with low acidity and light body, but this is no ordinary brew. It's delectably smoky cup, intense and uncompromising.”
French Roast has always been the kind of coffee I assumed just wasn't for me. When people say a coffee has a smoky flavor, this is what they are referencing, but on a smaller scale. This coffee is dark, black as oil, and the flavor - if you would call this flavor - is of smoke. Everything smoky come's to mind, when I sip this coffee. From wildfire's to burnt ash, this coffee kicks you in the face with one singular flavor. I like to think it is a good learning tool for people to find out what "Smoky" really tastes like, but really, this coffee isn't very good. I realize not everyone like's the same, but this coffee really is a niche coffee. They roast the bean right up until it catches fire. Come on. Smoky? More like burnt. Stay away from French Roast unless you really, really, enjoy smoky flavors. It's like smoking, without the cigarette.
Starbucks – Anniversary Blend
By: Chase
Coffee: Anniversary Blend
Company: Starbucks
Brewing Method: French Press
Origin: Asia/Pacific, Aged Indonesian
Description: “Smooth with deep, spicy flavor notes, this is a big, bold, satisfying blend created once a year to salute our heritage.”
Each year Starbucks comes out with a different but familiar "Anniversary Blend". Definitely a stronger and darker blend of bean, this coffee has a thick body and a smoky flavor. Again, the smoky flavor seems to be indicative of Starbucks way of roasting in general. I can taste the spicy. I suppose. It IS there - hidden underneath the taste of smoke. Burnt ash. This coffee is terrible. A friend once described it as tasting of feet. I can't help but agree with that assessment. No amount of sugar or cream will cover this abomination.
Intelligentsia – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
By: Chase
Coffee: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Company: Intelligentsia
Brewing Method: Clover
Origin: Ethiopia
Description: “Aromatics of jasmine, clover, and gardenia. Notes of dark berries and lemongrass combined with a clean mouth feel and lime-like acidity”
Every time I get a chance to enjoy a cup of coffee from a clover it is an experience in itself. Here we sit in our favorite shop with world class barista's like Nicely serving us coffee. This is the culture we proudly belong to. This is what once upon a time Starbucks tried to take and mass produce. Alas, they flew too close to the sun and burnt their wax wings.
This coffee has subtle notes of berry. It has a clean finish. I wouldn't dare put cream or sugar in this coffee, it doesn't need it.